In recent years, there has been an increased focus on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases generated by burning fossil fuels. One solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is developing renewable sources of energy. Particularly, energy derived from the wind has proven to be an environmentally safe and reliable source of energy, which can reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
Energy in wind can be captured by a wind turbine, which is a rotating machine that converts the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy subsequently into electrical power. Common horizontal-axis wind turbines include a tower, a nacelle located at the apex of the tower, and a rotor that is supported in the nacelle by means of a shaft. The shaft couples the rotor either directly or indirectly with a rotor assembly of a generator housed inside the nacelle. A plurality of wind turbines may be arranged together to form a wind park or wind power plant.
Lightning strikes are a major cause of concern for wind turbine sustainability. With wind turbines being located in remote areas for the best wind catchment, the turbines are a particularly attractive target for lightning strikes due to their height and material composition.
Wind turbine blades typically encompass advanced lightning protection systems, some of which comprise features such as lightning receptors and a lightning down conductor for conducting lightning to ground to prevent lightning strikes from damaging the wind turbine blade. It is desirable to understand the effects of a lightning strike on a wind turbine.